So you've spent that last month writing a script, and now it's time to ease yourself back into the "real world." A world without acts, scenes, sound effects, or well-planned dialogue. A world where you are expected to balance school work, family time, and your social life. One where you can no longer use the excuse: "Sorry, busy writing my script."
You may not know what to do with yourself when you reenter this world, but pretty soon, you’ll be back in the swing of things. And after you’ve learned to refrain from blurting out one-liners in the cafeteria and stopped referring to strangers as extras, you'll be well on your way to a full and healthy Frenzy recovery.
But Script Frenzy doesn't have to be totally over, especially if you like the script that you wrote during the event. After catching up on time lost during April, you may want to:
1) Register
If you are planning on entering it in any contests, it’s a really good idea to register your script with the Writers Guild before you do. In order to keep your ideas legally safe, you can register online or by mail. It is super easy, and the fee is only $20, which is definitely worth the protection for your newly-written intellectual property.
While this is not a requirement, we did see in the forums that some of you are planning on submitting to contests, so we thought we would mention this.
2) Revise
Whether it’s with a writing group, your close friends, or your younger brother, sharing your newly written script with other people (especially with other writers) makes the revision process much easier. The YWP Script Frenzy forums are a great place to find a revision partner. We even created a Script Swap forum. Once you find a partner, you can either Frenzy mail or email your scripts to each other.
Another good bet is the virtual workshop on the Celtx website. Note: You must be 13 or older to use this site. If you have not already done so, sign up for a free account at Celtx’s Project Central and post your script. If you are not already using their free software, you will have to download it in order to share your script with other writers.
I think the best revision advice out there is to read your script aloud. You can either do this by yourself, or with a group of very dedicated friends who would like to take parts and read through your script. It does not have to be acted out, and you won’t need props; all you’ll need is enough copies of your script for all the friends who would like to read parts, a comfortable living room, and some serious snacks!
3) Submit
Once you’re done with revision, it’ll come time to submit to contests and become famous. (Then we can ride on your coattails, say we knew you when, and borrow money from you.) Many of the contests out there require you to be 18 or older, or to pay a lot of money, but we found some just for teens and kids. Most of these contests are annual, so if you miss them this year, they'll be back again in 2010.
CONTESTS
Action on Film International Film Festival Short Scene Competition
Deadline: June 1 2009
Entry Fee: $25
About: While we all love a great action film, action is more than martial arts, fast cars and what you typically believe to be action. Action is also, lovers walking on a beach, a kiss, hard edge dialogue and even more than that. So, any film or video that has movement, life, excitement, and fire, that is what we are looking for and yes of course, we want your shoot ‘em ups and films with fight scenes too. In short, we want to celebrate it all. Give us action! Submit a written scene, 5 pages or less, that shows what you think of action!
Annual Actors’ Theatre Young Playwrights contest
Deadline: January 2010
Entry Fee: $5
About: Actors' Theatre continues its groundbreaking efforts to bring new playwrights and exciting, innovative theater to their area, by putting the quills in the hands of our youth! The winning plays will receive staged readings with age appropriate actors during the Young Writers' Festival Weekend, April 24, 25, and 26, 2008. Writers must be between the ages of 13 and 19.
Baker’s Plays High School Playwriting Competition
Deadline: January 2010
Entry Fee: None
About: Grand Prize is $500! Each winner’s play will be published in a collection by Baker's Plays with a royalty earning contract.
Blank Theatre Company Young Playwrights Festival
Deadline: March 2010
Entry Fee: None
About: The Blank Theatre Company Young Playwrights Competition & Festival is the premiere nationwide forum dedicated to developing and producing plays and musicals by playwrights 19 years of age and younger. Since 1993 we have developed and produced 172 plays and musicals by playwrights as young as 13 years old!
Eerie Horror Film Festival
Deadline: August 1 2009
Entry Fee: $20-25
About: The 2009 Eerie Horror Student Screenplay Competition offers young screenwriters in the horror, science fiction and suspense genres a chance to have their work recognized by people in the industry and beyond! Students may submit feature screenplays (70 pages or longer) or short screenplays (69 pages or under). The top 3 winning screenplays in each category will be announced on all Eerie Horror Film Festival websites and winner’s information will be forwarded to industry professionals for consideration. Winners will be announced no later than September 1, 2009. This category is open ONLY to students ages 10 - 17. A parent or legal guardian MUST fill in all forms.
Fledgling Films
Deadline: Ongoing
Entry Fee: None
About: Fledgling Films solicits teen and pre-teen written plays, screenplays, and short stories to be produced as short films at the Fledgling Films Summer Institute. They accept national and international submissions, with a strong preference toward works written primarily in English. Writers receive a small honorarium, an invitation to be involved in the filming process, and a copy of the finished film. The ideal script is 10-30 pages. Submit to: Fledgling Films, 949 Somers Road, Barnet, Vermont 05821, USA. Send SASE for return of materials. E-mail kcp@pshift.com for more information.
Future of Cinema International Film Festival
Deadline: April 15 2010, but submit early for reduced fee
Entry Fee: $15-30
About: The Future of Cinema Festival at Interlochen Center for the Arts provides a setting for high school filmmakers to meet professionals and peers, screen work, discuss trends and new developments in cinema, while creating a greater understanding of a quickly evolving art form. The competition is open to high school students age 14-18.
Princeton University’s Ten-Minute Play Contest
Deadline: March 2010
Entry Fee: None
About: This contest seeks the best ten-minute play written by a high school junior. First Prize: $500.00; Second Prize: $250.00; Third Prize: $100.00.
Young Playwrights Festival National Playwriting Competition
Deadline: January 2, 2010
Entry Fee: None
About: YPI will give you a place to be heard. Your play will be read and evaluated in writing by a theater professional; selected writers will come to New York for their Writers Conference to work with some of this country's most exciting theater artists. Who knows, your play might even be produced Off Broadway in the Young Playwrights Festival! So, do the write thing: write a play and make yourself heard. The power is in your hands. You must be 18 years old or younger on January 2, 2010—in other words, all writers born on or after January 3, 1991 are eligible to submit their work.
WriteMovies.Com International Writing Competition
Deadline: May 7 2009
Entry Fee: $19
About: Submit your screenplay, stageplay, original TV pilot, or TV spec script to this online writing competition. Only 1000 entries are accepted in each round of the contest, but it repeats twice each year. If you are under 18, you must have at least one parent (or legal guardian) sign the application form in addition to your own signature.
For more information about contests near you, check out John Dorf’s Young Playwrights Page and his contest resources.
Another good resource for finding screenwriting competitions is Without A Box. Creating an account with the site will allow you to search over 1000 screenwriting festivals and competitions. But be sure you check the details carefully--many of these competitions have steep entry fees, or do not allow submissions from anyone under 18 years old.
Other Really Fun Scriptwriting Things To Do
1. Produce your script!
The coolest thing about writing a script is making it come to life. And you don’t have to have a movie contract or a theatre company to do this! If you wrote a play, grab your friends, some impromptu props and costumes, and take your script to the stage (even if the stage is in your backyard or living room). If you know someone with a camcorder, you can produce your screenplay or TV script in the same fashion. If you wrote a script for a comic book or graphic novel, even better! Even if you aren’t an artist, all you will need is one friend who is. Scripts were meant to be shared, so whether you wrote one for the stage, the screen, or the page, make sure to get it out there for the world to see and enjoy!
2. Write another one during National Playwriting Month.
National Playwriting Month.
Event Entry Fee: None
Event Dates: 11/01/07-11/30/07
About: If you are a playwright, this is your chance to write another play in a month with other playwrights around the globe.
Congratulations once again on your script. Please feel free to contact us if you think we’ve missed any cool, online scriptwriting resources or contests that Script Frenzy participants should know about.